National Gallery of Canada

Teachers Lesson Plans

An introduction to the prints of Albrecht Dürer

Grade K-3

My first print:A master painter, printmaker, goldsmith, as well as art theorist, and humanist scholar, Albrecht Dürer embodied the idea of the renaissance man; constantly seeking, learning, teaching and adding to his vast repetoir of knowledge in both the arts and sciences. In this lesson, students will develop stories using artworks as the foundation for their stories, they will learn about printmaking and then create an artwork using a simple printing technique.

Grade 4-6

Reading symbols:A master painter, printmaker, goldsmith, as well as art theorist, and humanist scholar, Albrecht Dürer embodied the idea of the renaissance man; constantly seeking, learning, teaching and adding to his vast repetoir of knowledge in both the arts and sciences. In this lesson, students will investigate how artists use symbols to transmit meaning.

Grade 7-8

Emphasizing prints:A master painter, printmaker, goldsmith, as well as art theorist, and humanist scholar, Albrecht Dürer embodied the idea of the renaissance man; constantly seeking, learning, teaching and adding to his vast repetoir of knowledge in both the arts and sciences. In this lesson, students will investigate how Dürer created areas of emphasis in his prints. Students will then create prints with defined areas of emphasis.

Grade 9-12

Designing balance:A master painter, printmaker, goldsmith, as well as art theorist, and humanist scholar, Albrecht Dürer embodied the idea of the renaissance man; constantly seeking, learning, teaching and adding to his vast repetoir of knowledge in both the arts and sciences. In this lesson, students will investigate balance in Dürer's works and then design a t-shirt.